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With the increase in the elderly, American's caregiver roles and responsibilities are also on the rise. Developing with this increase is the growing problem of caregiver burden. The Loma Linda V. A. Hospital has developed a service known as the Home-Based Primary Care program designed to combat caregiver burden. Studies were conducted among caregiver participants in this program in an effort to evaluate overall levels of burden and the program's efficiency at meeting caregiver needs. Overall this program provides a useful model for future programs aimed at reducing caregiver burden. Limitations that can be improved, however, include consistency in scheduling, reliable staffing, and continuity in care.

No description available.

This study is aimed at exploring the impact of secondary trauma on the child. A shortcoming has been identified in practice because of the lack of trained social workers and therapists in the field of secondary trauma and children and applying effective therapeutic intervention. The goal of this study was to explore and determine the impact of trauma on the child as the secondary victim in the emergency room of the hospital. In order to reach the required goal, a number of objectives were set. By means of a literature study and consultation with experts in the field of trauma, a theoretical framework was set up with regard to the following: secondary trauma as phenomenon; the child in the middle childhood as part of life; trauma debriefing and the child. An empirical study where semi-structured interviews and participatory observation were used as the methods of data collection was undertaken, to assess the impact of trauma on the child, as the secondary victim in the emergency room of the hospital. The following aspects were handled specifically: 1. the experience of trauma by the child 2. fears and anxiety 3. re-experiencing the event through thoughts 4. sensation, communication and play 5. increase in sensitivity through sight, noises and smell 6. avoidance of memories, thoughts and feelings towards the trauma and then the search for closure Individual semi-structured interviews were used with ten respondents. Applied research was undertaken as the researcher aimed at establishing solutions for problems that occur in the emergency room of the hospital. The researcher used a qualitative research approach. Considering that in this study a relatively unknown field was researched, a phenomenological strategy within an exploratory study was used to explore, understand and interpret the research question, which is not well known. The research question formulated for this study was: “What is the effect of trauma on the child as the secondary victim?” Empirical data, which was obtained by using a semi-structured interview schedule and participatory observation, revealed the following: 1. The secondary traumatized child is the individual that’s been exposed to the trauma by either witnessing the event or through the relationship with the victim. 2. The following phases of trauma were identified through the study of the secondary traumatized child: i. PHASE 1 : Biological impact phase ii. PHASE 2 : Reaction phase iii. PHASE 3 : Avoidance phase iv. PHASE 4 : Reintegration and recovery of homeostasis 3. Role of social support systems for the adaptation of the psycho-social functioning of the victim. 4. External factors that might influence the traumatized child. The study revealed information on the child as the secondary traumatized victim in the emergency room of the hospital, which holds further research possibilities. The desired information was acquired and can be used in further studies and the development of a trauma-debriefing programme. / Dissertation (MSW (Social Health Care))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Social Work and Criminology / MSW (Social Health Care) / Unrestricted

Malnutrition is one of the serious childhood problems that affect children under five (5) years of age, and is common in developing countries Botswana included. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of mothers of children diagnosed with malnutrition in Botswana, specifically at Sekgoma Memorial Hospital, Serowe. The said hospital is a district hospital which renders services to Serowe community and the surrounding villages, as such; participants in this study were from Serowe and other surrounding villages like Mabou, Tshimoyapula, Mmashoro and Mogorosi. Applied research was used as a type of research because it is associated with the researcher’s motivation to assist in solving a particular problem facing a particular community. Collective case study was used as a research design. The researcher explored the perceptions of mothers regarding child malnutrition; through the use of semi-structured interviews. Twelve (12) mothers of children with malnutrition were interviewed using systematic random sampling method and subsequently data was analysed according to Creswell’s model. Literature study was done and the following aspects were discussed: Child malnutrition in developing countries; child malnutrition in Botswana; description of child malnutrition; causes of child malnutrition; symptoms of child malnutrition; treatment of child malnutrition; prevention of child malnutrition; psychosocial implications of child malnutrition on the patient, family and community and social work intervention (therapy and prevention). Literature was also compared with research findings when analysing data. The study revealed that mothers had limited knowledge on malnutrition as a condition, the signs and symptoms thereof; causes; prevention and treatment of child malnutrition. This lack of knowledge made mothers to have wrong perceptions about child malnutrition. It was revealed that mothers did not perceive malnutrition as a serious problem that can result in admission for treatment in a hospital, they expected a different diagnosis. They perceive malnutrition as a secondary diagnosis. The majority of mothers had a Setswana diagnosis for their children’s condition. Mothers perceived the signs and symptoms of malnutrition as those of Thibamo, Phogwana (fontanel), or Ntsana. They interpret malnutrition as a Setswana ailment that can be treated traditionally. Factors that were identified to be contributing to malnutrition among children at Sekgoma Memorial Hospital in Serowe were found to be; lack of knowledge about malnutrition, wrong perceptions of malnutrition by mothers, illiteracy and unemployment, and cultural factors like taking a child to a traditional healer instead of a medical health facility. The study shows that mothers’ social functioning is disrupted by their children’s illness and hospitalization and thus a need for support from the hospital multi-disciplinary team, especially the social worker who is a trained counselor. The social worker should provide ongoing supportive counseling during the process of the child’s illness. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / Unrestricted

This study used photovoice methodology to explore how people with early-stage dementia use their perceived strength and resources to cope with the illness. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Thirteen women and seven men age 57 to 90 (mean 73.4) with MMSE scores ranging from 20 to 28 (mean 25.6) participated in the project. Participants were provided with a disposable camera and invited to take photographs relevant to their well-being. The photographs provided the means for participants to take the lead in dialogue sessions about their coping response. Grounded theory analysis revealed that initially, early-stage dementia precipitated a disruption in well-being. For the participants in this study, learning to live with the illness was an ongoing, continually shifting process of adjustment, where the participants moved from a familiar sense of well-being to an alternative sense of well-being. In this process the participants used a variety of strengths and resources ranging from those that supported them in reconstructing identity, regaining control, and rebuilding relationships to those that assisted them in reestablishing a healthy lifestyle and restoring meaning and purpose. Striving toward well-being while acknowledging the inconceivable notion of losing one's cognitive abilities was the central strength that the participants brought to this process. It captured the paradox the participants faced in living with early-stage dementia, which was to relegate the illness to the background of their lives while managing its symptoms in the foreground.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka vad andra vårdande legitimerade sjukvårdsprofessioner har för synsätt på kuratorers psykosociala arbetsmiljö inom akutvården i Västerbotten. I magisteruppsatsen har sex semistrukturerade digitala intervjuer genomförts med ett fenomenologiskt tillvägagångssätt. De professioner som intervjuats är: arbetsterapeut, dietist, fysioterapeut, logoped, läkare och sjuksköterska. Resultatet av studien visar att rollen som hälso- och sjukvårdskurator är diffus men har en avlastande funktion för andra professioner. Kuratorerna i sjukvården är oersättliga i vissa arbetsmoment som andra professioner inte behärskar, men i andra arbetsmoment är kuratorn utbytbar och reviret därmed oklart. Resultatet visar även att legitimationen är efterlängtad av andra professioner och stärker patientsäkerheten. Det som är viktigt i den psykosociala arbetsmiljön är samarbete, känslan av delaktighet och teamets sammanhållning. Andra professioners förväntningar och synsätt påverkar kuratorns psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Slutsatserna är att mer forskning behövs om den nya legitimerade yrkesgruppen hälso- och sjukvårdskuratorers psykosociala arbetsmiljö, roll och funktion i den moderna sjukvården. Det finns kunskapsluckor och behov av att uppdatera och tydliggöra kuratorns rollbeskrivning. / The purpose of the master thesis is to investigate other healthcare professionals' views on medical healthcare counselors (social workers) in an emergency care setting in Västerbotten, Sweden. In order to try and answer the purpose of the study six semi structured digital interviews were conducted. The included medical professions in our study were: Vocational therapist, physiotherapist, speech-language pathologist, dietitian, physician/doctor and nurse. The result of the study shows that the role as a social worker in a medical setting is difficult to define but is helpful for the other professional team-members. The healthcare counselors are irreplaceable in certain aspects, but some tasks are easily replaceable by others which makes the territory difficult to define. The results also show that the certification is long-awaited by other professions and strengthens patient's safety. What is important in the medical social work environment is cooperation, the feeling of participation and team cohesion. The expectations and views of other professions affect the healthcare counselors' psychosocial working conditions. The conclusions are that more research is needed on the psychosocial environment, role and function of the new licensed group of medical social workers in modern healthcare. There are knowledge gaps and a need to update and clearly define the role description.

<p>Spousal caregivers of persons with young-onset dementia (YOD) are known to experience significant social impacts, including family conflict, social avoidance, and marginalization. However, no qualitative study has examined the social experiences of YOD spousal caregivers within the Canadian context. This thesis examined the described social experiences of these caregivers. A descriptive, qualitative approach was used to study the nature of these social experiences using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Ten YOD spousal caregivers living in Ontario completed the study. Four themes emerged from the analysis: sources of social support, giving up activities in favour of new activities, adapting and maintaining in social and recreational activities, and social spaces as safe spaces. Concepts of caregiver social adaptation, and choosing to give up social and recreational activities in favour of new ones builds upon existing research on theories of social support, activity restriction, caregiver adaptation, and avoidance previously described in the existing dementia literature. Themes of giving up activities in favour of new activities, and social spaces as safe spaces also represent new themes not previously discussed in the dementia caregiving literature. Previous, socially-relevant research on YOD spousal caregiving has focused primarily on examining social impacts, with little attention paid to caregiver perceptions of their social experiences in the Canadian context. These findings indicate that caregiving for a spouse with YOD entails complex social experiences, which extend beyond value-laden depictions of social outcomes recorded in the existing literature. These rich experiences challenge and expand our theoretical understanding of spousal caregiving for persons with YOD.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

We conducted the study to explore and define the role of the social worker in Primary Health Care. The medical care model on its own is viewed as inappropriate for developing countries. We see Primary Health Care as holding the key to improving the health status of the many disadvantaged communities in South Africa. The Primary Health Care approach demands those health care providers, including social workers work collaboratively to provide the best possible services to the communities. Social Work is a profession concerned with the disadvantaged. However, social workers are assigned a very limited role in Primary Health Care. Since participants are concerned about subjective and experiential realities, participatory research was the appropriate research method. The major findings and conclusions were that, social workers have a role in Primary Health Care. They have to be assertive and tell others what is it that they do to find a place in Primary Health Care / Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

As gerontologists may know, there are a great deal of studies and a variety of academic literature on the misuse of alcohol and prescription medication amongst the elderly population. While there is a plethora of information on alcohol and prescription misuse, there is little reported data about the prevalence of other substance misuse experienced by this population. This study aims to help to fill that gap in the data by using quantitative methods to describe the scope of substance abuse of individuals 55-years or older. This study utilizes data from the Treatment Data Set Admission (TEDS-A). The TEDS-A is a public data set which includes admissions data from multiple substance abuse treatment facilities associated with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA). This is a regional study, therefore this study focuses only on individuals 55-years or older who have been admitted into substance abuse treatment facilities in the state of California in the year 2014. The TEDS-A is a data set that is supported and conducted by members of SAMHSA. Most of their public data sets, including the TEDS-A, can be accessed on their website (https://www.datafiles.samhsa.gov/study/treatment-episode-data-set-admissions-teds-2014-nid16949). The data available in the TEDS-A involves a number of admission questions, including demographic data, reasons for intake, primary through tertiary substance concerns, questions regarding social status, information on medical insurance, and more. This study looks at the descriptive frequencies of the use of alcohol, crack/cocaine, marijuana/hashish, heroin, other opiates & synthetics, methamphetamine, and other substances. The study includes 13,512 cases, of which 9966 (73.8%) of cases were male, 3539 (26.2%) were female, and 7 (0.1%) were missing and/or invalid. The results of the data suggests that, while alcohol abuse is a problem, those over 55 are admitted into substance abuse clinics for many other reasons, not just alcohol abuse.